Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Tim Watsford from NT Major Events about the return of the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown

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Katie spoke with Tim Watsford from NT Major Events about the return of the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is just on fourteen minutes after ten o'clock and
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  Speaker 1: joining me live in the studio for a real change
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  Speaker 1: of pace, a pretty fast pace, I would say. When
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  Speaker 1: you talk about the supercars, it is Tim Watsford, the
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  Speaker 1: CEO of NT Major Events. Good morning to.
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  Speaker 2: You, Good morning Katie. How are you yeah?
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  Speaker 1: Really well? Now, Tim, we know that the Merlin Darwin
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  Speaker 1: Triple Crown it's going to return for three days of
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  Speaker 1: non stop motorsports action for next year. Good news, Hey, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Massive news.
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  Speaker 3: I think it's we want to try and take advantage
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  Speaker 3: of the Black Friday sales where everyone goes a little
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  Speaker 3: bit mad this tommyar So you can get your tickets
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  Speaker 3: now for eighty nine bucks, which is super cheap for
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  Speaker 3: three days worth of racing action. And the guys have
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  Speaker 3: worked their bums off to put together another great program.
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  Speaker 3: So you know, twenty twenty two, we're trying to step
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  Speaker 3: up again. I think I've been saying that for the
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  Speaker 3: last four years, every years, trying to be bigger and better,
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  Speaker 3: and I think we're going to do that with next year,
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  Speaker 3: really really good stuff.
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  Speaker 1: What can people expect for next year? Because I think
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  Speaker 1: that if you're a motorsports fan, you're always sort of
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  Speaker 1: you know that it's going to be a great weekend
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  Speaker 1: no matter what. But are there any sort of changes
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  Speaker 1: to the plans for next year?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there is.
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  Speaker 3: We kind of a bit of a journey last year,
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  Speaker 3: to be honest, around looking at what the fans want
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  Speaker 3: in particular, and they were screaming out motorsports. So what
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  Speaker 3: we've done this year in particular adding to what you
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  Speaker 3: see during the day is top fuel drags.
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  Speaker 2: And really try to push that drag program.
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  Speaker 3: So the difference from last year to this year to
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  Speaker 3: those that kind of have been around the traps for
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  Speaker 3: a little while is we folded the concert into a
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  Speaker 3: top fuel drag racing meat which will take over Friday
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  Speaker 3: and Saturday night. They'll be accompanied by the door slammers
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  Speaker 3: and then from a on track during the day perspective,
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  Speaker 3: austrain and superbikes are coming back.
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  Speaker 2: They're an amazing spectacle.
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  Speaker 3: We got these little things called S five thousands, which
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  Speaker 3: is a little kind of Formula one looking car, the
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  Speaker 3: hot tip. They're supposed to break the lap record.
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  Speaker 2: They're fast.
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  Speaker 3: So then we've got supercars and we've got to own
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  Speaker 3: pre production, so it's very motorsports heavy it's going to
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  Speaker 3: be a busy weekend. It is actually Indigenous Round as well,
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  Speaker 3: the formal Indigenous round for supercars. So really really happy
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  Speaker 3: the guys have jumped on board and want to celebrate
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  Speaker 3: everything that the top end Larikia.
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  Speaker 2: And Indigenous means to us and our culture.
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  Speaker 3: So look, we're trying to go bigger, which want to
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  Speaker 3: go better and Yeh've got no doubt next years can.
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  Speaker 1: Be big well and no doubt that's what That's what
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  Speaker 1: the punters want, Like that's what people want. They're there
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  Speaker 1: for the motorsports and you know, the drags throughout the
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  Speaker 1: day I'm assuming will be a real you know, a
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  Speaker 1: real draw cart.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, massive, like the drag racing that we did last
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  Speaker 3: year night Drop North. For those that are for me
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  Speaker 3: with it, door slammers and funny cars, they do the
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  Speaker 3: strip in about six seconds, don't quote me. I think
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  Speaker 3: the top fuelers do it in about three seconds. They're fast,
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  Speaker 3: so the fast current planet. So we've got a few
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  Speaker 3: of them coming up and effectively doing their grand final
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  Speaker 3: of their season in Darwin. So they'll be playing for
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  Speaker 3: points now. If you those they are out Hiaton Valley
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  Speaker 3: on the Friday night last this year. Sorry, it was
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  Speaker 3: crowd record for the Friday over the twenty years that
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  Speaker 3: we've had supercars up here or twenty odd years. So
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  Speaker 3: we're looking to really stack in Valley for Friday and
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  Speaker 3: Saturday night.
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  Speaker 1: That's pretty crazy when you consider that last year was
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  Speaker 1: you know, COVID was such a big issue for us.
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  Speaker 1: Then to have that record breaking number, it's pretty amazing.
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  Speaker 2: Stuff it is.
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  Speaker 3: And I think we try to play to our strengths
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  Speaker 3: and our niche and and we thought, you know, the
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  Speaker 3: fans want motorsport, they like drags racing. I have a
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  Speaker 3: new drag racing until we move to the territory Beynest
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  Speaker 3: Katie and now I love it. They're fast, so look
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  Speaker 3: and even if you don't, even if you don't like it,
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  Speaker 3: they're allowed. The atmosphere is electric and I can no
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  Speaker 3: doubt say that, Yeah, Hidden Valley on Friday in particular
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  Speaker 3: Saturday night are going to be absolutely mental.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, fantastic stuff. Now obviously people can jump online. You've
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  Speaker 1: got that Black Friday sale that's starting tomorrow. We did
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: catch up with the police earlier this morning about cyber
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  Speaker 1: You know some of the cyber scams. This is not
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  Speaker 1: a scamps from line obviously and head to the do
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  Speaker 1: and Supercars to get your tickets. Hey, it's not the
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  Speaker 1: only thing that we know is coming back for next year.
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  Speaker 1: The other thing is based in the Grass and that
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  Speaker 1: lineup was an outs last week. Pretty exciting with that.
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  Speaker 3: One, too massive, and look, I'll gloat here a little bit.
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  Speaker 2: We've got the best lineup in the country next year.
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  Speaker 3: So for those that are music fans and first of
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  Speaker 3: all lovers from right across the country, it is a
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  Speaker 3: pretty premier lineup and we're seeing the tickets walk out
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  Speaker 3: the door as a result, our second release or a
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  Speaker 3: general admission release sold out. We're into our final release
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  Speaker 3: of tickets now we've got a handful of VIP tickets
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  Speaker 3: that I'm assuming you're going to go on the next
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  Speaker 3: couple of days left. Now that's we've gone from fourteen thousand.
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  Speaker 3: We're going to try and push that barrier next year.
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  Speaker 3: I can't say we were going to land just yet,
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  Speaker 3: but fourteen thousand and seven of thousand are in a
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  Speaker 3: state last year, so it's a really good lick for
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  Speaker 3: the for the top end from a hospitality and accommodation
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  Speaker 3: perspective and an economic impact.
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  Speaker 2: So we're playing that card again. Good Tommy year, Let's
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  Speaker 2: let's dance.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's gonna be on anything else exciting that we
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  Speaker 1: can expect for next year. I'm assuming lots of stuff,
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  Speaker 1: but nothing you can announce.
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  Speaker 3: Checks we've got. We've got done our reill under the wing,
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  Speaker 3: so we announced that a couple of weeks ago. So
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  Speaker 3: the cows are coming over from Townsville to play them
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  Speaker 3: to Mighty Territory IELs, so that'll be a blockbuster. The
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  Speaker 3: Cowboys have recruited well, so that's gonna be a cracking game.
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  Speaker 3: Standing by for what AFL brings for us, then we've
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  Speaker 3: obviously gotten the center Parchama, which will be an amazing
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  Speaker 3: from a package's perspective. Parchamer in April is literally walking
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  Speaker 3: out the door as well, so those that want to
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  Speaker 3: make the trip to the center do so it's going
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  Speaker 3: to be another amazing cultural experience.
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  Speaker 1: Do you reckon that things are going to calm down
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  Speaker 1: to some degree now? You know, in terms of the
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  Speaker 1: borders sort of opening, there being a lot more certainty
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  Speaker 1: from different states when it comes to those borders as
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  Speaker 1: they reach those high vax rates.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, and we're seeing that, and we're also seeing
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  Speaker 3: that from from a competition perspective, there are a lot
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  Speaker 3: of If I look at music festivals or motor sports
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  Speaker 3: next year.
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  Speaker 2: There's a lot that's online already.
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  Speaker 3: And to your point, the confidence level in people that
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  Speaker 3: they previously had for Darwin is now being matched through
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  Speaker 3: the Eastern States with border relaxing, So we've got to
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  Speaker 3: work to do to be honest, we want to try
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  Speaker 3: and get in front. Like I said, we've got the
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  Speaker 3: best line up. I think we've got the best motorsports program,
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  Speaker 3: so that should attract people in themselves. But yeah, confidence
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  Speaker 3: is back right across the country. We're seeing that. So
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  Speaker 3: that's a great result and that's what we all want.
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  Speaker 3: We want people coming up and really enjoying what we
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  Speaker 3: have to offer, and events of the catalyst for conversion,
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  Speaker 3: I'll say as I keep shouting, So yeah, events are
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  Speaker 3: going to bring people up through the dry.
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  Speaker 2: Season each year. Well, good stuff.
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  Speaker 1: Tim Watsford, the CEO of NT Major Events, always good
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  Speaker 1: to catch up. Thanks for your time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think